Cai Zi did not expect Liu Yifeng to evade her attack, but she gave it no further thought. Instead, she launched a flying kick, intending to send him flying.
Unexpectedly, Liu Yifeng grabbed her lower legs with both hands. No matter how high she kicked, she could not harm him.
This enraged her. She struggled fiercely to break free from Liu Yifeng's grip, clutching the jar in one hand and preparing to strike at his vital points with the other.
Although Liu Yifeng was quick, he had never learned martial arts and could not anticipate Cai Zi's next move, thus he could not prevent it.
Therefore, just as her hand was about to reach for his groin, Tong Tong, who had been sitting on the sofa, suddenly flicked a silver needle towards her wrist.
Cai Zi had not paid any attention to the people sitting on the sofa and therefore had no defenses against them.
By the time she sensed danger, it was too late to dodge. The silver needle pierced her wrist, and the pain rendered her unable to continue her attack.
Only then did Liu Yifeng react. Without any hesitation, he shoved the woman to the ground with a palm strike.
The woman got up unwillingly, trying to pull out the silver needle from her hand. At this moment, Tong Tong shouted to his father, "Daddy, tie her up."
The nanny, who had somehow acquired a hemp rope, immediately handed it to Liu Yifeng upon hearing Tong Tong's words.
Because of the silver needle piercing her wrist, Cai Zi lacked the strength to move.
She could only watch helplessly as Liu Yifeng tied her up, leaving her completely immobilized.
"Let me go!" she exclaimed in broken Chinese, struggling futilely.
Liu Yifeng looked at the ceramic jar in her hand and snatched it away.
He opened the lid, and upon seeing the contents, nearly vomited. He had never seen such disgusting insects before. Fortunately, he had skipped lunch, or he would have truly thrown up.
"Ugh, what is this?" Liu Yifeng immediately placed the jar on the ground.
Zhao Qing and Zhao Dewang also stood up and came to look out of curiosity. Their expressions were also not entirely normal, but they did not lose control like Liu Yifeng, showing such a disgusted reaction.
Tong Tong, on the other hand, looked at the insects inside with a look of familiarity. "These are love bugs!"
"What? Such disgusting bugs are called love bugs?" Zhao Qing found it hard to believe.
Even more incredulous was Cai Zi. She hadn't expected this little brat to recognize the insects at a glance. "How do you know about them? Who taught you?"
Tong Tong then looked at Cai Zi and said, "Auntie, your plan is probably ruined. Uncle Zhao's love curse is about to be broken."
"Who discovered the love curse? Who is breaking it? Stop them! Stop them now!" Cai Zi felt increasingly unwell, knowing that if this continued, she would soon be unable to hold on.
However, no one paid attention to her words. As long as she was prevented from causing trouble, the love curse on Zhao Shubo would be lifted soon.
Zhao Dewang, upon thinking of these disgusting things plaguing his son, making him infatuated with that ugly woman, gritted his teeth in hatred.
"I'll smash them to death!" he declared, raising the jar, ready to smash it down forcefully.
But Tong Tong stopped him in time. "Grandpa Zhao, wait."
Zhao Dewang halted his action and looked at Tong Tong in confusion. "Tong Tong, why are you stopping me?"
Tong Tong then explained, "Grandpa Zhao, these love bugs are connected. Once the love bugs on Uncle Zhao are eliminated, they will naturally die as well. There's no need for you to get the floor dirty by smashing them."
Zhao Qing also quickly chimed in, "Dad, since Tong Tong says that if Shubo's love bugs die, they will die too, why don't you just not do it yourself? It's too disgusting to deal with, and if they die on the floor, it'll be revolting!"
Zhao Dewang then put down the jar, snorting with apparent reluctance.
"How do you know all this? You're just a child. Could it be that you're also the one who is breaking the love curse for Shubo?" Cai Zi's eyes widened with disbelief, but more so with anger.
"You little brat, daring to ruin my plans! Release me at once, or I won't let you go!" she threatened, trying to intimidate Tong Tong.
Liu Yifeng, however, would not tolerate this. How dare she threaten his son? Did she think he, as his father, was nonexistent?
So he walked over to Cai Zi and slapped her face several times. "See if you still dare to be defiant. My son is not someone like you, trash, who can even touch a single hair of his."
Cai Zi's vision swam with stars from the blows. Because she was bound and weak, she could only endure the beating.
Liu Yifeng had never hit a woman before, but this woman had touched his absolute red line, his son, whom he would not even utter a harsh word to.
This woman with ill intentions dared to threaten Tong Tong in front of him. If it weren't illegal to kill, he would have stabbed her.
He would never allow anyone to harm Tong Tong, not even family members, let alone this detestable R-country woman.
If her actions were exposed, and she was thrown onto the streets, the people beating her would surely be far more severe than himself.
Tong Tong, watching his father vent his anger for him, suddenly felt a sense of being protected by his father. This feeling was wonderful.
Cai Zi's face was swollen from the blows, but no one sympathized with her. This was what she deserved.
"Tong Tong, it's almost a quarter past one. Shouldn't we go in and take a look together?" Zhao Qing reminded him, checking the time.
Tong Tong nodded. "Okay, let's go in now. As for this woman, leave her outside and don't untie her!" Tong Tong took a few steps, then stopped and said to Cai Zi.
Zhao Qing then instructed the nanny to watch the woman, after which she and Tong Tong went inside together.
Entering the room, Zhao Dewang looked at his son, who was completely drenched as if he had been pulled out of water, and felt a pang of heartache. "A perfectly healthy person had to suffer like this. How could that woman outside be so heartless!"
If he hadn't seen Liu Yifeng slap her a few times earlier, he would have wanted to go up and kick her.
"Grandpa Zhao, don't worry. Sweating is a good thing. It means the love bugs inside sense danger and want to escape their host. But with my silver needles, they can't escape anywhere and can only stay put."
"Is the love curse broken now?" Zhao Qing asked Tong Tong impatiently.
Tong Tong shook his head. "We have to wait a little longer."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Shubo, who had been lying in bed asleep, suddenly began to convulse, rolling his eyes from time to time.
Seeing this, Zhao Dewang and his daughter were terrified and were about to ask Tong Tong what was happening.
Then, Zhao Shubo suddenly sat up, spat out a mouthful of black blood towards the foot of the bed, and then fell back onto the bed.
"What's happening to my son? Why is he spitting blood?" Zhao Dewang's face turned pale with fear, thinking that Tong Tong had failed.
Tong Tong, however, smiled. "Grandpa Zhao, Director Mom, you don't need to worry anymore. The love curse on Uncle Zhao has been broken.
The reason he spat blood just now was that the love bugs turned into blood after they died. Didn't you notice the blood's faint, fishy smell?"
"Are you telling the truth? The love curse is broken?" Zhao Dewang was overjoyed.
Zhao Qing was also extremely excited. "Tong Tong, you are truly amazing!"
At this moment, a wild laugh echoed from the living room, frightening the nanny, who hurried into the room. "Sir, the woman in the living room seems to have gone mad. She's laughing to herself."
"The love bugs contain her vital essence. When they die, the person who cast the curse will also be affected. Going mad is actually a light punishment for her," Tong Tong said, not at all surprised, as if everything was under his control.